Page 107 of The Bad Mother's Diary

Then he marched outside to his expensive one-of-a-kind vintage car.

Wednesday October 21st

7pm

Daisy in bed.

Alex is coming over in an hour.

What the fuck am I going to wear??!!!

Laura and all her runner robot Lycra are in London. And there’s no point asking Mum or Brandi for clothes. Unless I want to go jogging in high heels, neon and seven layers of spray tan.

Why oh why didn’t I think of this before, when the shops were open?

At the moment, my options are:

Baggy elephant grey joggers covered in weird white marks that no amount of washing will shift. (Where does all that white stuff come from when you have a baby? Is it spit? And if so, how does it get on your legs?)

Nick’s old Abercrombie and Fitch T-shirt. Bad memories there. And anyway, it makes me look fat.

Leggings with big saggy knees.

Dad’s bright white tennis kit from 1980 something.

I seriously need to update my wardrobe.

I’m in this horrible no-man’s land where I don’t have the figure for tight T-shirts that show my tummy when I lift my arms (and I STILL have that weird brown pregnancy line under my belly button. Will it EVER go?), but I’m too young to wear big billowy Monsoon tops with flowers all over them.

7.50pm

Decided that the best thing to wear is Dad’s tennis kit. It’s the cleanest, anyway.

Oh fuck it – the doorbell.

That must be Alex.

Thursday October 22nd

Seeing Alex on the pub doorstep yesterday was … well, just weird. Good weird, but weird nonetheless.

I mean, I’ve seen him loads of times drinking in the pub. But actually calling at the back door where the family come in …

He was all silent assassin again – arms crossed, black T-shirt and dark grey joggers. Very serious looking.

I said, ‘Have you come to repossess the house?’

He gave his quirky little smile and said, ‘Did you think we were playing tennis?’

I told him my running gear was in the wash and said I hoped I looked okay.

He said, ‘You look perfect.’ So I forgave him instantly.

Then he asked about Daisy and my parents. And whether the pub was doing well.

I said yes. It’s the only pub in the village. So it always does well.

We went jogging along the waterfront.

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